Jury acquits St. Paul man accused of kidnapping, attacking wife

November 3, 2012 - 6:56 PM

A Ramsey County jury on Friday acquitted a St. Paul man who had been accused of kidnapping and attacking his wife over two days in January.

The jury deliberated for about 14 hours over two days before deciding that Charlie P. Blackwell was innocent of all six charges against him -- two counts of kidnapping, two counts of criminal sexual conduct and two counts of assault, according to defense attorney Ira Whitlock.

In the complaint that initially outlined the charges, Blackwell's wife said he had stabbed her in the leg and held her captive after asking for a divorce. The wife's sister in Texas called police after a phone call in which she suspected something was wrong, the complaint said.

The trial before Judge Gary Bastian had lasted two weeks.

Whitlock said he believes the jury agreed with his argument that Blackwell, who had also been stabbed as the pair fought over a knife, acted in self-defense. He said he also thought jurors found the woman's testimony unreliable.